James Harden vs. Yao Ming: Rockets Rankings Comparison

Explore Yao Ming and James Harden career statistics with the Houston Rockets and discover their all-time rankings in franchise history for both the regular season and the playoffs. See their standing side-by-side in key categories for both total numbers and per game averages, encompassing all games played with the team. Who ranks higher in franchise lore?

Player comparisons:
Career comparison / Season by season / Scoring / Stats / Stats Rankings / Games against each other
Filter: Career Stats - Rockets

While the rankings of their overall NBA careers provide a broader context, here we zoom in on how James Harden and Yao Ming truly stack up based solely on their time with the Houston Rockets. This in-depth analysis goes beyond basic career numbers to provide a unique look at where they stand among the franchise's all-time greats.

Considering James Harden's 9 seasons (2013 to 2021) and Yao Ming's 8 seasons (2003 to 2011) played specifically for the team, delve into a precise breakdown of their standing across every key statistical category—from scoring, rebounding, and assists to steals, blocks, triple-doubles, and specific points thresholds—encompassing both regular season and their complete playoff runs with the franchise. Our detailed tables provide side-by-side rankings and comparative values, offering the definitive data needed to assess their historical impact on the franchise.

First, review a concise summary of how they rank in Rockets history in the main categories (points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks) for both total and per-game stats, and below, you can then explore in detail all their franchise stats and their historical rankings within the team's record books.

James Harden vs. Yao Ming:
Rockets Total Stats Rankings Summary

Rockets Totals
Season Playoffs
James Harden Yao Ming James Harden Yao Ming
Points
2nd
7th
2nd
14th
Rebounds
7th
6th
3rd
13th
Assists
1st
44th
1st
57th
Steals
3rd
51st
2nd
61st
Blocks
8th
2nd
7th
8th
Years9884

James Harden vs. Yao Ming:
Rockets Per Game Stats Rankings Summary

Rockets Per Game
Season Playoffs
James Harden Yao Ming James Harden Yao Ming
Points
1st
13th
1st
8th
Rebounds
40th
13th
33rd
12th
Assists
2nd
120th
2nd
91st
Steals
6th
+150th
3rd
120th
Blocks
40th
3rd
31st
6th

Comparisons on this page:

Their rankings for:
Season Totals - Playoffs Totals /
Season Per Game - Playoffs Per Game

Note: per game rankings include players with a minimum of games played

Rockets Totals,
Regular Season Rankings

Rockets

Stats Rankings:

James Harden Yao Ming Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points
2nd
7th
5 18,365 vs. 9,2479,118
Rebounds
7th
6th
1 3,736 vs. 4,494758
Assists
1st
44th
43 4,796 vs. 7694,027
Steals
3rd
51st
48 1,087 vs. 189898
Blocks
8th
2nd
6 390 vs. 920530
Offensive Rebounds
21st
4th
17 538 vs. 1,233695
Defensive Rebounds
5th
4th
1 3,198 vs. 3,26163
Field Goals Made
4th
8th
4 5,391 vs. 3,3802,011
Field Goals Attempted
3rd
9th
6 12,169 vs. 6,4455,724
3-Pointers Made
1st
+150th
+149 2,029 vs. 22,027
3-Pointers Attempted
1st
+150th
+149 5,602 vs. 105,592
Free Throws Made
1st
5th
4 5,554 vs. 2,4853,069
Free Throws Attempted
2nd
6th
4 6,444 vs. 2,9843,460
Rockets

Games and Years:

James Harden Yao Ming Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Games Played
6th
11th
5 621 vs. 486135
Seasons
6th
8th
2 9 vs. 81
Rockets

Rankings by Points Scored:

James Harden Yao Ming Rk Diff. Values Diff.
40+ point games
1st
13th
12 98 vs. 296
50+ point games
1st
-
23 vs. 023
60+ point games
1st
-
4 vs. 04
70+ point games
-
-
0 vs. 00

Rockets Totals,
Playoffs Rankings

Rockets

Stats Rankings:

James Harden Yao Ming Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points
2nd
14th
12 2,416 vs. 5551,861
Rebounds
3rd
13th
10 482 vs. 261221
Assists
1st
57th
56 602 vs. 29573
Steals
2nd
61st
59 165 vs. 9156
Blocks
7th
8th
1 51 vs. 429
Offensive Rebounds
13th
12th
1 71 vs. 765
Defensive Rebounds
2nd
14th
12 411 vs. 185226
Field Goals Made
2nd
18th
16 731 vs. 195536
Field Goals Attempted
2nd
20th
18 1,737 vs. 3761,361
3-Pointers Made
1st
+150th
+149 256 vs. 0256
3-Pointers Attempted
1st
+150th
+149 790 vs. 0790
Free Throws Made
2nd
5th
3 698 vs. 165533
Free Throws Attempted
2nd
7th
5 801 vs. 198603
Rockets

Games and Years:

James Harden Yao Ming Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Games Played
2nd
29th
27 85 vs. 2857
Playoffs
2nd
16th
14 8 vs. 44
Rockets

Rankings by Points Scored:

James Harden Yao Ming Rk Diff. Values Diff.
40+ point games
2nd
-
8 vs. 08
50+ point games
-
-
0 vs. 00

Rockets Per Game Averages,
Regular Season Rankings

Rockets

Stats Rankings:

James Harden Yao Ming Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points per game
1st
13th
12 29.57 vs. 19.0310.55
Rebounds per game
40th
13th
27 6.02 vs. 9.253.23
Assists per game
2nd
120th
118 7.72 vs. 1.586.14
Steals per game
6th
+150th
+144 1.75 vs. 0.391.36
Blocks per game
40th
3rd
37 0.63 vs. 1.891.26
Offensive Rebounds per game
112nd
15th
97 0.87 vs. 2.541.67
Defensive Rebounds per game
21st
8th
13 5.15 vs. 6.711.56
Field Goals Made per game
4th
15th
11 8.68 vs. 6.951.73
Field Goals Attempted per game
3rd
24th
21 19.60 vs. 13.266.33
3-Pointers Made per game
1st
+150th
+149 3.27 vs. 0.003.26
3-Pointers Attempted per game
1st
+150th
+149 9.02 vs. 0.029.00
Free Throws Made per game
1st
4th
3 8.94 vs. 5.113.83
Free Throws Attempted per game
1st
9th
8 10.38 vs. 6.144.24

Rockets Per Game Averages,
Playoffs Rankings

Rockets

Stats Rankings:

James Harden Yao Ming Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points per game
1st
8th
7 28.42 vs. 19.828.60
Rebounds per game
33rd
12th
21 5.67 vs. 9.323.65
Assists per game
2nd
91st
89 7.08 vs. 1.046.05
Steals per game
3rd
120th
117 1.94 vs. 0.321.62
Blocks per game
31st
6th
25 0.60 vs. 1.500.90
Offensive Rebounds per game
72nd
15th
57 0.84 vs. 2.711.88
Defensive Rebounds per game
23rd
11th
12 4.84 vs. 6.611.77
Field Goals Made per game
4th
13th
9 8.60 vs. 6.961.64
Field Goals Attempted per game
2nd
20th
18 20.44 vs. 13.437.01
3-Pointers Made per game
2nd
+150th
+148 3.01 vs. 0.003.01
3-Pointers Attempted per game
1st
+150th
+149 9.29 vs. 0.009.29
Free Throws Made per game
1st
3rd
2 8.21 vs. 5.892.32
Free Throws Attempted per game
2nd
9th
7 9.42 vs. 7.072.35

Note: the per game rankings on this page are among players with a minimum of 40 games played with the Rockets franchise for season stats, and 3 games for Playoff stats.